Jackie's Summer Reads

Another great reviewer, Jackie let me know about some of her favorite books from the summer. Jackie, almost 15, is an avid reader and part of the crew helping me set-up the new store (opening in October!). She caveats her selections as mostly being for girls, although a couple would be enjoyed by boys and girls.

~The Iron King by Julie Kagawa. Her favorite book! First of the series and just fantastic.

~Maximum Ride by James Patterson. Very funny with sarcastic humor; was "if-y" at first, but totally worth it. First of the series. Good for guys also.

~The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott. Grabbed the fourth book called Necromancer. Great for that getting over harry potter syndrome that people have :D)  This is one I wanted to read also. Good for guys also.

~Deadly Little Secret by Laurie Stolarz. Completely suspenseful, stayed up so late because could put it down.

~ Oh.My.Gods by Tera Lynn Childs. Very cute; to help get over Percy Jackson syndrome with all the mythology in it too.

Chocolate is good for your heart (in more ways than one)

Not about a book, but since I plan on selling special chocolates in the store, this posting is bookstore related. A brief article in the Washington Post Health Section today discussed a recent study that showed chocolate is good for the heart.

Now, I already knew that chocolate feeds the soul, but this study found women who consumed one or two servings each week of what is considered high-quality chocolate (contains a higher density of cocoa) had a 32 percent lower risk of developing heart failure.

Unfortunately (for people like me), the study also found that "women who treated themselves to at least one serving each day did not appear to benefit."

The message is clear - dark chocolate rules!

My mystery bias coming through loud and clear

Doesn't this sounds like a great book? Read more in Shelf Awareness:

"It sounds like a fictional thriller: great detectives from five continents meet once a month in secret chambers to ponder--and hopefully solve--cold cases over a gourmet lunch. But it's not fiction. In The Murder Room: The Heirs of Sherlock Holmes Gather to Solve the World's Most Perplexing Cold Cases, Michael Capuzzo tells the story of the Philadelphia-based Vidocq Society, a group with 82 members--one for each year of the life of Eugène François Vidocq, the first modern detective--and more than 100 associate members drawn from all over the world."

"...Capuzzo focuses on the three men who formed the Society in 1990: Frank Bender--manic, intuitive, psychic and happily sex-addicted--is the most celebrated forensic artist working today. Richard Walter--tall, melancholy, acerbic, chain-smoking--is a forensic psychologist and eerily brilliant profiler. William Fleisher, head of U.S. Customs enforcement in three states, is the administrator who allows Bender and Walter, "equal parts Reason and Revelation," to function at their best...As they and their colleagues solve the most baffling, often heartbreaking cold cases, we come face to face with terrifying crimes and eccentric and enthralling forensic professionals."

Top 10 Killer Thrillers

Looking for something to curl up with and scare yourself silly? Over 600 books were nominated by NPR's audience and based on over 17,000 voters, the top 10 Killer Thrillers are:

1. The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
3. Kiss the Girls by James Patterson
4. The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum
5. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
6. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
7. The Shining by Stephen King
8. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
9. The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy
10. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

A few of my votes made the list. Now, I have a few more in queue to read!